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I would still suggest, being patient.(gonna be tough for you).
Most of us were youg once. I just can't remmember it anymore.

Besides your friends, do you do any After hours sales calls.
If not, you might want to see if he'll pay more commision on After hours sales calls.
He may be using those rates, because your also receiving hourly pay.

Are you keeping a personal log, of your sales.
You should.
Then next time you bring up pay. You can justify increased commisions because of a high closing rate.
Or, if its low. You may not want to ask.

Well, prior to the commission program I've only been keeping my own personal sheets. Just on repairs average about 800 per day. Of course when the calls aren't there I can't make that happen. The month of july was my first month that they tracked. I didn't know they were going to pay me for july or I would have kept better record but they gave my commission on 31k in equipment sales. Around here, most companies are paying 4-5%. I work for a very small outfit so I don't necessarily expect the same as I would get from a larger more stable company. I just felt like for what I've done for his business (earning my keep as one jackass put it) he'd be grateful. I'm not saying he should be wanting to have my baby but reward my loyalty thats all. And in his mind he doesn't expect me to ask him for a raise for a long time. In the process of discussing all of this one of the things he said was that if he gave me a raise now would I be coming back to him in a year asking for another one?

Well, prior to the commission program I've only been keeping my own personal sheets. Just on repairs average about 800 per day. Of course when the calls aren't there I can't make that happen. The month of july was my first month that they tracked. I didn't know they were going to pay me for july or I would have kept better record but they gave my commission on 31k in equipment sales. Around here, most companies are paying 4-5%. I work for a very small outfit so I don't necessarily expect the same as I would get from a larger more stable company. I just felt like for what I've done for his business (earning my keep as one jackass put it) he'd be grateful. I'm not saying he should be wanting to have my baby but reward my loyalty thats all. And in his mind he doesn't expect me to ask him for a raise for a long time. In the process of discussing all of this one of the things he said was that if he gave me a raise now would I be coming back to him in a year asking for another one?

Well there you have it, i can tell you that i dont make that, or commission, and i dust you in avg sales a day, my average is around 1,100 a day in repairs, and thats just repairs.

so yes on a good day ill can usually pull like 1,600 to 3,000 in a day, then sometimes on a slow day you dont make much past a few hundered bucks

but i still get paid either way dont you?

i really dont have to see what you are complaining abt, in todays economy with people gettng laid off and jobs being out sourced maybe you should just be happy you have a well paying job

Look maybe this was a very bad idea on my part. If this is going to turn into a ***** fest by other people I want to remove this post. Let me tell you something, dude, for the last 2.5 years I've drank, I've breathed, and I've ****ted HVAC. If I'm not working or sleeping or watching spongebob with my daughter then I'm reading about something related to HVAC whether its about the latent heat of vaporization or how to wire a dual fuel thermostat I've EARNED every f'ing cent I make. When I got into this trade I decided I was going balls to the wall and I wasn't going to let other people dictate to ME how I was going to progress in this trade. BTW I live outside washington dc and I pay 1750 a month for a 2 bedroom condo so keep cost of living in mind before you all think I'm richie rich.

First off, if you worked for me at those wages you would have take an HVAC knowledge test, if you did well enough we would have long respectful talks & you would learn how to use a proper sequence trouble-shooting systems, & doing things the RIGHT way.

I would dialog with you in an honest manner your pay-scale, & would expect you to have a proper attitude toward me, & toward all prospects & customers.

A good tech with a good attitude is worth a lot, however, I did all my work myself & only hired help to get units up on roofs, etc.

I will never understand this, but I never had anyone complain about my work, guess just lucky to have customers with good dispositions. No, I did not do everything perfectly, none of us are perfect, but our work needs to pass muster.

Well there you have it, i can tell you that i dont make that, or commission, and i dust you in avg sales a day, my average is around 1,100 a day in repairs, and thats just repairs.

so yes on a good day ill can usually pull like 1,600 to 3,000 in a day, then sometimes on a slow day you dont make much past a few hundered bucks

but i still get paid either way dont you?

i really dont have to see what you are complaining abt, in todays economy with people gettng laid off and jobs being out sourced maybe you should just be happy you have a well paying job

Look, I was hoping to get some sound advice from some people not turn it into a competition, it's not my fault you don't get commission or make as much as I do might I suggest talking to your boss unless you are your boss. My original questions weren't "How is what I'm making compared to you other guys?" or "Does anyone think that I make too much money?" or "Do you want to know where I live so you can all marvel at how much I'm making for my time in the trade?".

On another note, I live in a condo and was thinking about replacing the system. I've got a 2 Ton Condenser with a 30RAQ First Co. Air Handler with Water Coil. I've been jonesing to put in a heat pump. Two problems. One, the AHU is 120 and theres no way to run new power supply so I'd have no electric heat which I can deal with. Second problem is that they ran only two conductor wire outside. Just wondering if I install a transformer outside and phase it properly could I get away with running a heat pump with my two low voltage wires?

First off, if you worked for me at those wages you would have take an HVAC knowledge test, if you did well enough we would have long respectful talks & you would learn how to use a proper sequence trouble-shooting systems, & doing things the RIGHT way.

I would dialog with you in an honest manner your pay-scale, & would expect you to have a proper attitude toward me, & toward all prospects & customers.

A good tech with a good attitude is worth a lot, however, I did all my work myself & only hired help to get units up on roofs, etc.

I will never understand this, but I never had anyone complain about my work, guess just lucky to have customers with good dispositions. No, I did not do everything perfectly, none of us are perfect, but our work needs to pass muster.

An economic downturn (that materially affects the business you are in) is a bad time to ask for a raise.

He's giving you a little cut, probably because he's hurting and any more cuts into his children's shoe money, but wants to keep you.

In the formative years of your career, any time you can jump ship and make more bucks (without killing yourself with a 2 hour commute or stupid long working hours), do it.

If I stayed at my first professional job, with its regular 2.5% annual raises, I would be making half what I do now. Any "pro" who comes back and says, loyalty, who taught you, blah blah blah, is just saying, work for me cheap, and I like it to stay that way.

On the flip side, he gave you good criticism. If you need to know more about rooftop units, then learn it. At work, at school, at your next job, any way you do it, you'll be more valuable.

Hey thanks finally a constructive critic! I do want to point out or clarify that I never asked for a raise. When we interviewed he told me that he was starting my off at what I was making at my previous company and that my goal to make another dollar by the summer would be fine. I was simply asking him to follow through on that. And I'm not an idiot about rooftops but my bosses philosophy is that there are really no differences between rooftops and residential equipment. I think thats b.s. Show me a residential condenser that uses a CLO. Now granted I took his criticism to heart and have enrolled in carriers classes on medium rtu's. I'm taking some courses on reading wiring diagrams because I know if I can read wiring diagrams that I can fix just about anything. Thanks